Finalists Selected for the NewSpace Business Plan Competition

The Winner of the $25,000 Grand Prize will be Announced at the NewSpace Awards Gala

Silicon Valley, CA - Five deserving finalists have been selected to present their business plans to the judges of the NewSpace Business Plan Competition. These startups range from innovative hardware design to space food for nerds but all are aimed at filling a niche in the commercial space industry. Attendees of the NewSpace 2011 Conference can watch the final presentations on July 29, 9 AM PST, at the NASA Ames Research Center. Online registration closes July 25th and the price will increase onsite. The winner will be presented with the $25,000 prize during that NewSpace Awards Gala on July 30. The runner up will be awarded $5,000 and third place will receive $2,500. Find out more about the competition at www.NewSpaceBPC.com.

NewSpace Business Plan Finalists:

Altius Space Machines

Altius is an aerospace R&D company developing innovative rendezvous & docking systems needed to remove obstacles to widespread space commerce. The company’s core focus is developing its “Sticky Boom” rendezvous and docking solution for non-cooperative capture, in partnership with SRI International. “Sticky Boom” makes it possible to safely adhere to virtually any surface in space (including metal, glass, plastics, even asteroids) without the need for pre-designed docking targets. Altius is partnering with prime contractors for government missions and commercial customers to integrate its “Sticky Boom” into third party satellites, space vehicles, and space facilities. The offer a family of off-the-shelf Sticky Booms for published prices combined with customization services as needed.

Celestial Circuits

Celestial Circuits is being formed to commercialize a command and control processor module and standardize the data acquisition hardware for the cubesat form factor for Nanoracks and cubesat satellites. This way the same equipment can be used for every facet of experimentation, from tower drops all the way to the ISS. It ensures that scientists can focus on the experiment, rather than determining if hardware changes impacted data. Celestial Circuits intends to produce flight-ready hardware for as low as $500 a unit, affordable even to the student experimenter.

Final Frontier Design

FFD will operate in the aerospace safety garment industry. The purpose of the company is to design, test, and manufacture space suits and all coincident technologies for research and sale within the commercial space market and beyond. Their focus will be on the functional pressure restraint garment design and prototyping, especially for the hand/glove. Other potential commercial design offerings include Thermal Micrometeroid Garments, dust mitigation, radiation mitigation, life support systems, cooling and heating systems, communications, parachute interaction, and earth based survival options.

NewSpace Publishing LLC

The purpose of NewSpace Publishing, LLC is to explain to and educate the general public about the commercial spaceflight industry. It is their intent to encourage people’s dream to travel into space. Their products will help make the new space endeavor a reality in people’s minds by showing its positive impact on the global environment, economy, society, and politics. Commercial spaceflight and space tourism will provide the change of perspective and the opportunity needed for seeking solutions to mankind’s challenges.

Solar Flare

Two teenage entrepreneurs with a passion for math, science, education, and innovation founded Solar Flare. Shannon and Mikayla Diesch (15 and 16 years old) entered and won the Conrad Foundation Spirit of Innovation Awards. Their team designed a nutrition bar for use by NASA on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. After creating the first commercially viable space food product for NASA in a generation (think Tang) and successfully leveraging that effort into a STEM education outreach and public relations success, the girls set out to develop a line of nutrition bars to meet the needs of a large yet underserved market niche. In a world awash with dozens of products marketed to athletes, dieters, or healthy eaters, there is no product marketed for mental energy or performance. There simply is no “nerd bar” in the marketplace!

Register now and save at the NewSpace 2011 Conference registration page. Tickets are going fast and the price will increase onsite! The conference website also has information about the DoubleTree Hotel in nearby San Jose, which will provide a discounted rate for all guests attending the conference. For more information, visit newspace.spacefrontier.org. Follow @NewSpaceCon on Twitter for the latest updates and invite your colleagues.

Tagged as: Altius Space Machines, Celestial Circuits, Final Frontier Design, NewSpace 2011 Conference, NewSpace Awards Gala, NewSpace Business Plan Competition, NewSpace Publishing, Solar Flare